A Letter From the Director

From P. David Adelson, MD

Over the past few years, we’ve seen explosive growth in our neurosciences division. Through the support and guidance of those who were here before – physicians and staff who helped develop a reputation for quality pediatric care locally – as well as the vision of Hospital administration, we have begun to elevate the quality of care we provide to children in our community.

Through this growth and by combining the best from Phoenix Children’s and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, we’ve already developed a prominent position in children’s neurosciences, both here in Phoenix and throughout the Southwest. The goal of our first issue is to introduce you to Barrow at Phoenix Children’s. Down the road, this enewsletter will highlight the amazing care, science and knowledge being developed here.

Our mission is to improve the health and lives of children with neurological disorders by providing comprehensive, high-quality, patient- and family-centered care; developing state-of-the-art clinical and translational research; and serving as a resource for professional and community education. We expect to further elevate this institute from its already prominent position as a local leader in the delivery and development of care for children with neurological disorders to one of regional and national prominence in care, science and education.

“Our goal is to deliver the best patient- and family-centered care to each child who comes to us.”

We are one of the largest pediatric neuroscience programs in the country and boast the second-largest clinical volume of any children’s hospital. The institute is composed of 43 clinical faculty who represent the following specialties:

Each member of the clinical staff is solely dedicated to caring for children with neurological disorders. The additions of research staff for the development of a clinical data center and biorepository, as well as three new research laboratories in neurotrauma, epilepsy and brain tumors, have helped us quickly gain prominence throughout the region. And, with the addition of fellowships in pediatric neurosurgery and neuroradiology, residencies in pediatric neurology and psychology and rotations for neurosurgery and neuropsychology, we have the opportunity to train the leading clinicians and scientists of the future.

Our goal is to deliver the best patient- and family-centered care to each child who comes to us. What makes us unique here is we are 100% for children – they are our singular focus. As necessary for children with complex neurological disorders, it’s paramount to assemble a team of multidisciplinary specialists who provide the wide spectrum of state-of-the-art care for the treatment of these complex diseases.

We know we have a special opportunity to shape and lead in multiple areas of children’s neuroscience and intend to share our progress through this enewsletter. Given the combination of institutions, clinical talent and investigative growth, we are positioned to develop new treatments for these children and play a transformative role in this community.

I hope you find this enewsletter helpful and informative. Please feel free to contact me or the staff if you have any topic suggestions or thoughts on how we can improve our service to you and the community. Lastly, I encourage you to visit our website at www.phoenixchildrens.org/bni to learn more about our programs and accomplishments.